Eddie Hearn: ‘I will make Anthony Joshua the undisputed heavyweight champion in 2018’

This month, we ask Eddie: Who will Joshua fight next year? Why Old Trafford could host the AJ vs Deontay Wilder fight? Can Matchroom conquer the USA? And what does Eddie want for Christmas?

Deontay Wilder made a real statement beating Bermane Stiverne in a round last weekend, and now he is calling out Anthony Joshua. What is the deal with that fight, Eddie? Is AJ ducking him?

Keith, email

Of course it can happen, and I am convinced it will. The only question is when. That’s where things get interesting. At the moment, Deontay Wilder and his handlers are making a big noise about fighting Joshua because they are coming off a big win, they know they have a window to hype a potential fight, and they are making the most of it. But what they need to realise is that AJ is the star of the heavyweight scene and he is the one who calls the shots. Wilder and Lou DiBella can talk all they want, but AJ is a unified champion, he is the one who fills stadiums, and the truth is he will fight anyone.

The plan at the moment is for AJ to fight three times in 2018. Once in probably March, once in June/July, and then again in November/December. To me, the logic points to a fight with Joseph Parker first and we are talking to them right now. Next would be a summer showdown with Wilder. They want the fight in the US and we want it in the UK. If it is a pay-per-view fight in the US and it could generate serious numbers, then it would be viable to fight over there. If not, we know that fight could sell out any stadium in the UK and that would be a huge fight, too. So this week I am going to sit down with Wilder’s advisers, of which there are about 46 of them, and we will see what happens.

But coming back to what you said about AJ ducking him, how can you say that? Wilder came out recently and said, “How long is your boy gonna keep running?” And it’s nonsense. Joshua fought Wladimir Klitschko in May, then both AJ and Wilder had mandatory defences. So how can AJ be ducking him?

Let’s not forget, Joshua fought for a world title in his 16th fight, and unified in his 19th. In Deontay Wilder’s 19th fight, he was fighting an eight rounder on an undercard in Cancun. Wilder’s had 39 fights now, he’s as good as he’s going to get. Joshua is still learning and still improving, and he is already the best heavyweight in the world, in my opinion. So when the time comes, and I expect that to be this summer, Joshua will be ready, willing and able to deal with anything Wilder throws his way.

As for where it could happen. Wembley is difficult in 2018, but Twickenham is an option. And I have had Manchester United on the phone wanting to host the fight there. We would certainly consider that, and it would be an incredible to host a unification fight at Old Trafford. But listen, everyone wants to host an Anthony Joshua fight. He is simply the hottest ticket in town.

Tyson Fury was at your Monte Carlo show last weekend… is there any truth in the rumours that you are going to be working with him? Chuck B, email

We did have a little chat in Monaco, but it was very informal. He is a very interesting character, a great entertainer, and an exceptional fighter. I think everyone would love to see him back in the sport asap, and I would absolutely love to promote Fury against Joshua. For me, that is the biggest fight in the world right now by a country mile. But Tyson has a long way to go. He has the UKAD hearing to get out of the way, he needs to get his licence back, and he has to shift an awful lot of weight. But he does seem motivated right now, and he would stand to make an awful lot of money, he would be a fantastic fighter to have in the mix, and it would be great to see him back in the ring next year.

Do I think that is likely? I honestly don’t know. The only way he can convince people is to lose the weight and prove that he wants to commit himself to the sport. Because Tyson’s problem is he simply talks too much. How many comebacks has he announced in the past two years? Hundreds probably. But I do think he wants to come back. I do think he understands how valuable that can be and how much money he can make for himself and his family. And I think he does truly enjoy fighting. But I do feel that he hasn’t had a lot of guidance, that he hasn’t been helped enough to get his life back on track, and without that kind of support it can be hard to find the discipline and focus you need. If he got back in the Spring, then had a fight in the summer, maybe we could do the Fury fight in November. But it is potentially such a massive fight that if the time was right we would make it work whenever.

AJ doesn’t care who he fights. He says he is ready for everyone and his trainer Rob McCracken agrees with him. The bottom line is that the aim in 2018 is for AJ to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

This weekend sees your first show in the USA. What made you decide to start promoting fights over the pond? Marlon, email

To be honest, I feel like it has been a natural progression. We have done very well in the UK over the years and I see no reason why we can’t do for boxing in the US what we have done over here. Obviously, the signing of Daniel Jacobs was a major win for us, New York was the perfect place to kick things off, and it all kicks off this Saturday. It will take us a little while to get established, to get all our offices set up, the staff in place, all of that. But we are working with a number of US promoters to make sure everything runs smoothly.

I’m not naïve enough to think we can just waltz in and take-over, we’ve got a lot to learn. But the thing that convinced me to do it is that I have noticed over the years that American fighters are not getting the exposure they deserve from their promoters. Fighters like Daniel Jacobs and Deontay Wilder should be household names in the States, and they just haven’t got the profile. To me, there seems to be a real lack of full-time promotion of these guys, not just around their fights but 365 days a year, aligning them with brands, pushing them across social media and on digital platforms.

I believe there is real interest in boxing in the States, but the public need to be encouraged. And that is all down to the promoters to make the fights, build the names, and convince people they should pay attention. Wilder is the perfect example. He is a very talented, very exciting, great talking, good looking, smart dressing American heavyweight champion of the world. And 99 per cent of the people don’t know who he is! If I was promoting Deontay Wilder, he wouldn’t be able to walk down a street in the States without getting mobbed. But the reality is he sells 4, or 5,000 tickets at the Barclay Center in New York and only getting $2 million a fight if he’s lucky. I think that Matchroom USA can change that.

It is only six weeks until Haye-Bellew II. What can you tell us about that rematch? Joseph, email

It’s interesting because the fight has been much more low-key compared to last year. A lot was said last time, especially on David Haye’s side, but this time both men know they are heading for a war. David is going to lock himself away this time, no preparing on a yacht or any of that nonsense, and he is fighting for his future in the sport, no question. Last time he was thinking more about selling the fight and he genuinely believed he would blast Tony out of there. But he knows now that he is in a real heavyweight match-up, and if he should lose again that really will be the end of his career. But David loves the big fights, he loves to make money, and he still has one eye on getting in the ring with Anthony Joshua. If David knocks out Bellew, I guarantee he will start calling out AJ. And I don’t blame him one bit… that’s what I would do.

But I just don’t see David getting a result. Although he has changed trainers, I don’t believe he is an improving fighter. I see him as a fighter in decline. But Tony Bellew is getting better all the time. Last time I believed Tony could win, but deep down I was hoping he would win. This time, I expect him to win the fight. And it has gone from being a bit of a freak show, that was hyped out of all proportion, to a genuine match-up between two tough, talented heavyweights.

It’s still a few weeks away, but do you have anything special on your Christmas list? Steven, email

That’s very kind of you, Steven, but I don’t really. I do need socks. When you are a kid, you see all these old people getting socks for Christmas and you think: “What a sad life!” And then when you get to my age, the only thing that I can think of that I want is socks. So socks are on the agenda. But what I do need to do is look after myself a little better. I need to keep ticking along in the gym, stay in relatively good health, indulge my feminine side and have a few treatments. Because I am getting older. And now I am doing more in the States, I might need to get the big white teeth done that they all have out there.

It’s funny because I always get accused of having botox and having had my hair “done”. I have had neither, but I am not ruling out a hair transplant at some point. As I get older, so my hair is gradually getting thinner and thinner. And I know several high-profile people who have had a transplant and you would honestly never know. So that is something I am definitely thinking about. I would guess that I have maybe got three years left on my hair, and then I am hoping that maybe by then they will have developed a pill that, if you pop one, will leave you looking like Teen Wolf. That’s my Christmas wish.